Combined cornice and gutter.



H. .J. WAGNER.

UOMBINED GORNIGE AND GUTTER.

APPLICATION TILED MAR. 15, 1911.

1,002,6 1 1 Patented Sept. 5, 1911.

UNITED STATES PATENT OFFICE.

HENRY J'. WAGNER, OF DELLWOOD, NEW YORK.

COMBINED CORNICE AND GU'ITER.

T 0 all whom it may concern:

Be it known that I, :HENRI J. WAGNER, a citizen of the United States, residing at Dellwood, in the county of Erie and State of New York, have invented certain new and useful Improvements in Combined Cornices and Gutters, of which the following is a specification, reference being had to the accompanying drawings.

This invention relates to building construction and more particularly to a combined cornice and gutter, the object of the invention residing in the provision of a construction of this character consisting of a plurality of plastic blocks, and means for easily and quickly securing the same in position upon a wall.

Another object of the invention is to pro vide a combined cornice and gutter comprising a plurality of plastic blocks having interlocking engagement, said cornice and gutter being provided with a ventilating passage communicating with the interior of the building.

Still another object of the invention is to provide a combined cornice and gutter construction which may be easily and quickly arranged in position upon the wall of a building, and may be manufactured at very small cost, said construction being such that clogging of the gutter is entirely avoided and a free circulation of air through the cornice to the interior of the building is obtainable.

Vith the above and other objects in view, the invention consists of the novel features of construction, combination and arrangement of parts hereinafter fully described and claimed, and illustrated in the accompanying drawings, in which Figure 1 is a transverse section of a cor nice and gutter constructed in accordance with the present invention; Fig. 2 is a similar view of a slightly modified construction;

Fig. 3 is a transverse section showing a further modification; and Fig. 1 is a similar view showing a still further modification.

Referring more particularly to the drawing and especially to Fig. 1 thereof, 5 designates the wall of a building, and 6 the roof thereof which is supported by a plurality of beams or rafters 7 The cornice is adapted to be arranged upon the top of the wall 5 between the same and the beams 7. This cornice consists of a plurality of plastic blocks 8 which may be of any desired length and Specification of Letters Patent.

Application filed March 15, 1911.

Patented Sept. 5, 1911. Serial No. 614,684..

are formed of concrete or any other well known plastic material commonly used in the construction of buildings, and is provrded upon one of its longitudinal edges Wlth an extension 9 which is rabbeted as indicated at 10 to provide a tongue 11.

The base or bottom wall of the gutter is made up of a plurality of plastic sections 12 which are formed with the horizontally disposed portions 13 which rest directly upon the top of the-building wall 5. The outwardly projecting portions of the gutter sections are curved or otherwise formed to present an ornamental and finished appearance to the cornice of the building. These outwardly projecting portions of the gutter sections are preferably reinforced or strengthened by means of the wire rods 14: which are embedded therein when the sections are molded. The outer upper edge of the gutter sections has formed thereon a longitudinal V-shaped rib 15.

After the bottom sections of the gutter have been arranged upon the wall 5 and the cornice blocks 8 disposed upon the horizontal portions 13 of the gutter sections, the top sections 16 of the gutter are then placed in position. One edge of these top sections has a longitudinal groove 17 formed therein to receive the tongue 11 on the cornice blocks 8. By providing this groove, a longitudinal tongue or rib 18 is also formed on the top sections of the gutter for engagement upon the shoulder 10 of the cornice blocks. Thus it will be seen that the cornice blocks and the top sections of the gutter are securely interlocked. It will be observed that the upper surface of the sections 16 of the gutter adjacent to the roof of the building is slightly inclined as indicated at 19 to carry the water from the roof into the trough 20 in the upper surface of the gutter section 16. The outer edge of the sections 16 is considerably enlarged or increased in cross sectional area as indicated at 21 which extends upon opposite sides of the intermediate portion of the plastic section which forms the bottom of the trough The downwardly projecting portion thereof is provided with a longitudinal groove 22 to receive the V-shaped rib 15 upon the bottom sections of the gutter. These top gutter sections are also reinforced by means of the wire rods 23, said rods and the reinforcing rods 14 each having a wire 24 connected thereto which extends through the opposed faces of the top and bottom sections of the gutter and are adapted to be twisted together to bind the outer edge portions of the gutter sections upon each other. It will be obvious that if desired bolts may be secured to the wires 14 and 23 and united by means of a turn buckle.

As the next step in the completion of the combination cornice and gutter, the plastic blocks 26 are-arranged between the upper edges of the cornice blocks and the roof 6. It will be observed that the inclined face 19 of the top sections of the gutter is spaced from the roof and the blocks 26'are formed with longitudinal shoulders 27 which pro ject over and lie upon the inclined faces of the gutter sections at the edges thereof. In

this manner a secure and efiicient lock is provided, producing what is in effect a unitary structure. It will be observed that in this manner a hollow gutter is formed, That portion of the top section 16 forming the trough 20 is provided with a number of openings 28 through'which the water drains into the gutter. Cement or other plastic material 29 is applied to the inner surface of the bottom sections of the gutter and against the face of the cornice blocks 8. This cement is disposed in the gutter so as to provide an inclined race for the water draining into the same from the trough 20 whereby the same is directed to one end of the gutter and carried off in the ordinary manner.

In order to provide means for thoroughly ventilating the building to which my improved combination cornice and gutter construction is applied, the cornice blocks 8 are formed with the air passages 30 which open into the gutter and into the air space 31 which is providedbetween the outer and i11- ner building walls. A ventilator 32 is arranged in the inner wall of the building adj acent the ceiling and opposite to the inner end of the opening 30. This ventilator is adapted to be opened and closed by, the operating means 33' which in the present instance is shown as consisting of aplurality of pivotally connected rods, though itv will be understood that this operating means forms no part of the present invention. It will be readily seen that by opening the ventilator 32, the heated air in the building may pass out through the openings 30 in the cornice blocks into the gutter, such heated air escaping through the openings, 28 in the top sections of the gutter and melting any show or ice which may have accumulated therein. These openings would preferably be provided with screen covers so as to prevent the entrance of foreign matter which might clog the same. A steam pipe 34 is ar ranged between the inner and outer building walls adjacent to the ceiling so that additionalheat -may be provided in extremely cold weather, thus insuring the free passage nice blocks 8 have their upper edges formed with the shoulders 36 upon which the ends of the beams or rafters 7 of the sloping roof 6 of the building are disposed. The longitudinal ribs or tongues 11 are formed upon the outer face of the cornice block, the tongues or ribs 18 of the top section 16 of the cutter co-acting therewith in the manner described in connection with the form of the invention shown in Fig. 1. In this modified construction, the water does not enter through openings in the top sections of the gutter but is drained oil from the trough 20' formed in said top sections, by building the base of the trough up so as to provide a gradual incline from end to end of the trough. The outer edges of the top and bottom trough sections are recessed as indicated at 22, and the reduced portions thus provided are rabbeted as shown at 15 for co-engagement when the trough sections are set in position. The recesses 22 are then filled in with cement. In all other respects the construction of the cornice and trough is similar to that previously described, and while the ventilating passages are not shown'in connection with the modification, it will be understood that they may be provided if desired. The cornice blocks and the bottom and side blocks of the gutter can be integrally formed, though for convenience in handling, the sectional construction is preferable.

In Fig. 3 of the drawing I have illustrated a further modification of the invention wherein the gutter is disposed in the same vertical plane as the wall of the building, there being no projecting portions. This form of. my improved gutter is more particularly applicable tothe walls of ad joining buildings where a cornice cannot be provided. Asshown, the gutter consists of two similar plastic block sections 8 which are adapted to be arranged upon each other and cemented or otherwise secured together at their opposed faces. Each of these block sect-ions is provided with a longitudinal channel 37, the channel in the lower section beingof greater depth than that in the upper section. The upper block section also has formed therein. a plurality ofv passages 38 which open into the channel 37 and between the inner and outer walls of the building. The beams or rafters which support the roof rest directly upon the upper block section 8 of the gutter, and said block sections at their outer upper edges are'formed with the vertical .walls 39 which are spaced from the edge of the roof. The water drains from the roof into this space and passes through the openings 40 in the upper block sections 8 which communicate with the longitudinal channels 37. In this manner the water is carried into the channel of the lower block section from which it is drained in the usual manner.

In Fig. 4 of the drawings still another modification of the invention is shown wherein the hollow gutter is dispensed with and the combination cornice and gutter is formed by building the same up of a plurality of blocks 41, the uppermost block having the trough 20 formed therein and the shoulder 36 on its inner edge with which the ends of the rafters engage. The rafters may be further anchored upon the cornice by means of the rods 42. One of the ends of the rods is securely fastened to the rafters and the other ends thereof is provided with the plates 43 which arearranged between opposed blocks 41 forming the cornice.

From the foregoing description taken in connection with the accompanying drawings, it is thought that the manner of assembling the various parts and the advantages accruing to my peculiar construction will be readily understood. One of the most impor tant features of the invention is that a very satisfactory system of ventilation is obtained, and the trough of the gutter is also kept free of snow and ice thereby eliminating the objectionable flooding of the gutter.

lVhile I have described a preferred form of reinforcement for the blocks, it will be obvious that the invention is not restricted to this specific form of reinforcement but the same may be greatly varied in accordance with the architectural requirements of the particular building being constructed. The gutter is also fire-proof in construction as well as the cornice and leakage of the gutter is absolutely avoided owing to the plastic construction of the same. nice and gutter blocks may be readily formed in concrete block machines, or they may be cut from stone, the former method of manufacture being, however, very satisfactory and also inexpensive. It will be obvious that the faces of the blocks may be ornamented in any desired manner, and colored. by adding to the plastic mixture suitable coloring materials. Another important feature of the invention is that the gutter and cornice are extremely durable, thus eliminating the necessity of making frequent repairs thereto.

While I have shown and described the preferred forms of the invention, I would The cor have it understood that the construction is susceptible of many other minor modifications than those specified, without depart-ing from the essential feature or sacrificing any of the advantages of the invention.

Having thus described the invention what is claimed is:

1. A combination cornice and gutter for buildings comprising a plurality of blocks of plastic material including bottom gutter blocks adapted to be arranged upon the wall of a building, cornice blocks seated upon said bottom blocks between the same and the roof beams of the building, said cornice blocks having ventilating openings therein, top gut-ter blocks seated upon said cornice blocks and the bottom gutter blocks, and locking blocks arranged between the cornice blocks and the building roof and engaging over said top gutter blocks to lock the same in position.

2. A combination cornice and gutter for buildings consisting of top and bottom gutter blocks, said gutter blocks being seated upon the building wall, and cornice blocks arranged between said top and bottom gutter blocks in alinement with the building wall to retain the bottom blocks thereon, said top gutter blocks having a trough formed therein and a plurality of drainage openings, said bottom gutter blocks being provided with emergency water outlet openings, and means for locking said gutter blocks and the cornice blocks in their assembled posit-ions on the building wall.

3. A combination cornice and gutter for buildings comprising a plurality of plastic blocks including top and bottom gutter blocks and cornice blocks arranged between said top and bottom gutter blocks, said top gutter blocks having a trough formed therein and drainage openings, locking blocks to lock the gutter blocks and the cornice blocks in their assembled relative positions upon a building wall, reinforcements for said gutter blocks, and additional locking means connecting the reinforcements of the top and bottom gutter blocks.

4. A combined cornice and gutter consisting of a plurality of plastic blocks including top and bottom gutter blocks spaced apart to form a hollow gutter, cornice blocks arranged between the top and bottom gutter blocks and disposed upon the top of the building wall between the same and the roof of the building, additional blocks arranged upon the cornice blocks and engaging with the top blocks of the gutter to rigidly lock the same upon the cornice blocks, said top blocks having openings therein, and means for rigidly securing the top and bottom blocks of the gutter together.

5. A combination cornice and gutter C0n-- sisting of a plurality of plastic blocks in cluding top and bottom gutter blocks having &

co-engaging outer edge portions, cornice blocks arranged between the inner edge 01 the top and bottom gutter blocks and spacing the same, said top gutter blocks having interlocking engagement upon the cornice blocks and provided with a trough in its upper surface, said top gutter blocks having a plurality of openings therein, said cornice the inner edges of the top and bottom gutter' blocks, the adjacent faces of said cornice andv gutter blocks providing an inclosed gutter, said cornice blocks having a plurality of ventilating openings therein, the top blocks of said gutter engaging upon the cornice blocks, said blocks being adapted for arrangement upon the upper edge of a building wall between the same and the roof supporting beams of the building, and a plurality of locking blocks arranged upon Copies of this patent may be obtained for the cornice blocks and the top blocks of the gutter and between the same and the roof of the building to securely lock said blocks in position, said top gutter blocks having a trough formed therein, and a plurality of openings extending through said blocks and communicating with the inclosed gutter trough.

7. A combination cornice and gutter for buildings consisting of reinforced top and bottom gutter blocks, said bottom gutter blocks being seated upon a building wall,

cornice blocks arranged upon the bottom gutter blocks to retain the same in position, said top gutter blocks having interlocking engagement with the cornice blocks, locking blocks arranged between the cornice blocks and the building roof and engaging upon said top gutter blocks, said top and bottom gutter blocks being arranged in spaced relation and engaged at their outer edges, said top blocks having a trough formed therein and a plurality of drainage openings, and additional locking means connecting the reinforcements of said blocks at their outer edges.

In testimony whereof I hereunto afiix my signature in the presence of two witnesses.

HENRY J. WAGNER.

Witnesses:

T. ANTHONY SMITH, GEO. N. DE FRIES.

five cents each, by addressing the Commissioner of Patents,

Washington, D. G. 

